Independent Russian investigative news outlet Agentstvo reported that the practice has intensified since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, with some 86 people being forced into psychiatric treatment since the war began.

The outlet added that the number of political activists placed in forced psychiatric treatment in 2023 was five times higher than the average for 2021-2022, saying: “It is impossible to distinguish cases involving real illness from those that are politically motivated repressions.”

Some political prisoners who have undergone this treatment have described being subjected to humiliation, beatings, and receiving injections of powerful antipsychotic drugs, reported Russia’s Nobel Peace prize winning human rights watchdog Memorial.

It said: “Russian authorities use mental health issues as a pretext for repression against any ‘undesirable’ individuals—from activists and Muslims to scientists and musicians.

“Those accused are deemed insane and sent for forced psychiatric treatment.”


It added that people who undergo punitive psychiatry are kept in hospitals until deemed cured by a panel of psychiatrists, a process that can take an indefinite amount of time.

Political repression in Russia

Following its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Moscow has launched a massive crackdown on civil society, regularly imprisoning political dissenters it accuses of working for Kyiv or condemning its military actions in Ukraine.

According to Memorial, there are currently 776 political prisoners in the country.